Cape Breton hockey tournament down, but not out

Patrick Jennex, right, of the Mark Forest Auto Body team, prepares to take a shot in this file photo from the Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament at Centre 200 last March. This year’s tournament will be short at least two arenas with the Bayplex and New Waterford and District Community Centre not participating. Jeremy Fraser/Cape Breton Post

SYDNEY, N.S. — Richie Warren says after 29 years of organizing the annual Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament, he knows the importance of having a backup plan.

Warren will be forced to use one of his backup plans for this year’s tournament with news that two of the event’s regular arenas won’t be participating this year.

The tournament was aware the Bayplex in Glace Bay, the tournament’s home base arena for many years, wouldn’t be available due to its closure. However, the committee learned this week the New Waterford and District Community Centre (NWDCC) also wouldn’t be taking part this March.

The New Waterford venue backed out of the event after Hockey Nova Scotia announced this week the Cape Breton Jets, who play their home games at the NWDCC, were awarded the Nova Scotia Minor Midget ‘AAA’ Hockey League provincial championships, the same weekend as the Vince Ryan event, March 22-25.

“The New Waterford facility is one we’ve used year after year, so it is disappointing,” said Warren. “My attitude is I wish the Cape Breton Jets all the success during that weekend, the same as what happens in other rinks.”

“We’ve been at it long enough that we know how to adjust if something is to happen, so this year is no different.”

Kevin Forward, rink manager in New Waterford, said tournament organizers were aware in October the venue may have to pull out this year.

“They contact us at the first of the year and asked if we had any ice time available and I told them I didn’t think we would because of provincials,” said Forward.

“Any group that uses our building all year round, like minor hockey and minor midget, they have first crack at the end of the year provincials,” he said. “They have first opportunity to take the ice, before anyone else because they’re a regular tenant.”

Forward is disappointed the tournament won’t be played in New Waterford, noting the facility and Warren have had a great relationship over the years.

“It’s a very good tournament to have here, it’s well-run, it’s just too bad both tournaments had to fall on the same weekend,” said Forward. “I asked the minor midgets if they could go back a week earlier so we could have both tournaments, but they couldn’t move the dates.”

This isn’t the first time the Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament has been faced with a rink challenge.

Two years ago, the Joneljim Cougars of the Nova Scota Major Bantam Hockey League hosted a provincial championship the same weekend at the Emera Centre Northside, forcing the Vince Ryan tournament out in North Sydney.

This year will mark the 29th edition of the Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament, one of the largest recreation adult hockey tournaments in the world.

Warren, who has 15 teams already registered for the tournament, said not having the tournament games in Glace Bay and New Waterford won’t change things much.

“We can still accept 113 teams like we did last year, we can add more games at other rinks, that’s not a problem,” he said.

This year, the tournament will be held at the Canada Games Complex, Cape Breton County Recreation Centre, Dominion and District Community Centre, Emera Centre Northside, Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre, and the Sydney Mines and District Community Centre. The Whitney Pier Arena has yet to make a commitment.

Forward confirmed the provincial championship organizing committee has booked 22 games at two-and-a-half hours of ice time each, opposed to the Vince Ryan tournament, which would have booked between 18-20 one-hour games that weekend.

“If we don’t have any provincials or if minor hockey isn’t using the rink for anything, we’d love to have the Vince Ryan tournament back next year,” said Forward.

Registration for the Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey tournament is now underway. Teams have until Jan. 19 to register for this year’s event.